We Nominate for Stardom — Dick Powell (1932) 🇺🇸
He’s as red-headed as he is happy — and as un-self-conscious as a master of ceremonies (which he used to be). Cagney has a rival!
Dick Powell — Warner Brothers
He may have been born a hill-billy on a farm in the Ozark Mountains, but he left there at an early age because a farm doesn’t offer much future for a boy who can play almost every musical instrument at sight, sing a sentimental love ditty without crooning, and win the hearts of two big cities as a master of ceremonies.
Dick Powell has Something. Louisville discovered it first, and then Pittsburgh, hearing about how a tall, red-headed lad was wowing them, sent out scouts and grabbed him. Maybe it’s his grin. It’s infectious. Maybe it’s his wit. It’s spontaneous.
When Hollywood heard about Dick, it sent for him for Blessed Event. During the weeks when the picture was being made, four thousand of his Pittsburgh followers wrote Warners to “do right by our Dick.”
He isn’t married — and never has been. He is about as happy-go-lucky as he looks. His big ambition at the moment is to save enough money to buy an airplane. In other ways, it looks as if he’s going high and far. In “Blessed Event,” he played a nancyish rôle so likably that everybody left the preview, asking, “Who’s the clever kid?”
We Believe in Him
- Because every “comment post-card” returned to the studio by the preview audience of “Blessed Event” spoke of him.
- Because, despite his clever handling of a sissy part, he is a tough little runner-up to the absent and lamented Cagney.
- Because he can sing so well that they are writing a couple of songs into “Jubilo,” Will Rogers’ new picture, just to use Dick as the juvenile lead.
- Because every studio wants to borrow him. Because he has personality plus.
- Because two big cities can’t both be wrong.
Motion Picture has now been Nominating Newcomers for Stardom for six months.
We were the first to discover George Brent, who will soon be Ruth Chatterton’s co-star, as well as husband, and we were the first to predict success for Ann Dvorak — even before Scarface was released.
Tala Birell, one of our earliest Nominees, will next be co-starred with Paul Lukas. Gwili Andre is being rapidly groomed for stardom.
George Raft and Robert Young are two of our Nominees who have made good in a big way. Bruce Cabot has just been signed to a long-term contract. Randolph Scott will be the hero of “The Island of Lost Souls.” We feel that we can say “we told you so” about Lyda Roberti and Gloria Stuart.
There are stories about three of our ten Nominees in this issue. Read these stories about George Raft, Randolph Scott and Gloria Stuart. Watch for the pictures featuring all ten of our Nominees to date. (There are more coming. ) And, by all means, write us what you think of them. — Editor.
Source: Motion Picture Magazine, October 1932